


Catching Up

by BlueForestFox



Category: Captain Marvel (2019), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Cinematic Universe RPF, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers Movie Night, Avengers Sleepover, Carol needs to watch Lord of the Rings, Dinner, Fan Characters, Friendship, M/M, Movie Night, Sam and Steve are low-key 'together', Sam is an excited fanboy, Sleepovers, The Lord of the Rings References, catching up on 'culture', dinner party-turned sleepover, friends being friends, literally an impromptu all-nighter movie marathon, movie marathon, this is totally self-indulgent and nothing but friend and fan fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:53:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26224483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueForestFox/pseuds/BlueForestFox
Summary: “I honestly wouldn’t have thought those movies would do too well if they were ever made.” Carol confessed as she finished her plate and leaned back in her chair.Steve gave her an intrigued look from where he sat across from her. “Why not? I mean, the books were a pretty big hit.”“Yeah but,” Carol shrugged, “goblins and elves and little people—”“Hobbits” Sam interjected, drawing an amused grin from Nat.--------------------AKA: In which there is a dinner party at Steve and Sam's apartment, and they all decide that Carol really needs to watch the Lord of the Rings.Also Sam and Steve are low-key together but the fic is very friend-centric.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson
Kudos: 18





	Catching Up

**Author's Note:**

> This is not canon at all, set sometime after End Game but Steve is still doing the Cap thing. I probably messed up timelines and character voice galore. Ah well.   
> Sam and Steve have Carol and Nat over for a much overdue dinner get-together. They end up discussing the whole 'catching up on culture' for those of them who have missed chunks of Earth's history and it comes up that while Carol did read the Lord of the Rings saga, she never saw the films.   
> Sam decides this is unacceptable.   
> Late night movie marathons ensue and Carol ends up getting much more invested in the story then she planned.   
> (This is basically because I am just a shameless Captain Marvel and LOTR fan and I decided the two had to meet in some way. Also domestic Avenger fluff is just fun.)

\------------------------------------------ 

“You don’t have a list?” Steve asked idly, as he passed the mashed potatoes across the table. Carol grabbed the bowl and shrugged as she doled out a spoonful onto her plate.

“No. I mean, I never thought to make one.”

“You should try it.” He grinned.

“I mean, there’s stuff I want to get caught up on I just don’t---”

“Have time?” Steve suggested, and Carol shot him a look. He wasn’t wrong though. Even this dinner gathering seemed like a luxury. It had taken ages to get all four of them in one place at the same time. Steve and Sam were gone almost as much as Nat, who was only slightly more available than Carol. They had needed to earmark their dinner date months out and kept fingers crossed that some massive world-threatening catastrophe wouldn’t cause a rain check as it so often did.

“You know I’d be happy to help.” Nat flashed a wry smile across the table over the rim of her cup. “But you know I have only a slightly better sense of ‘culture’ than Steve.”

“Hey!” Steve feigned affront.

Sam chuckled and crossed his arms, looking first to Nat and then to where Carol sat beside him. “You don’t give yourself enough credit Nat. Seriously though, I helped Cap with his list, I’d be happy to help with yours.”

Carol shrugged. “I mean, I would say yes but I can’t promise I’ll get around to it.” She put her fork down and glanced between Sam and Steve. “And didn’t you make him read the Lord of the Rings? I thought I remember Steve mentioning that.”

“That was Barnes.” Nat said, somewhat flatly. “And he had his own list too.” There was a momentary hitch in the conversation, the air taking on the mildest edge of strain before Steve broke it.

“I read the Hobbit before so I was already kind of familiar with it.” His expression was jovial but the mention of Barnes had summoned up something small and sad that hid in the corner of his eyes. Carol picked her fork back up and poked half-heartedly at the peas on her plate.

Sam finally cleared his throat and spoke again. “You know, Star Wars was a big one too.” Steve nodded in agreement and Nat rolled her eyes.

“Hey,” Steve shrugged, “you got to be up on the references. Don’t get all huffy Nat, that’s what you told me.”

“I’ll watch it eventually.” Nat muttered dryly, one eyebrow raised. “At least I read Lord of the Rings, I mean, you have to give me credit for that. And saw the movies.” She turned to where Carol sat finishing up her plate. “You’ve read those right?”

“I mean,” Carol’s brows furrowed slightly, “Yeah, but it was a really long time ago. I didn’t even know they made movies of them.”

“That right there,” Sam said, punctuating his words with a poke of his fork, “that’s a good place to start. As far as cinema goes, that’s a good one.”

“I honestly wouldn’t have thought those movies would do too well if they were ever made.” Carol confessed as she finished her plate and leaned back in her chair.

Steve gave her an intrigued look from where he sat across from her. “Why not? I mean, the books were a pretty big hit.”

“Yeah but,” Carol shrugged, “goblins and elves and little people—”

“Hobbits” Sam interjected, drawing an amused grin from Nat.

“Hobbits.” Carol conceded, “It just doesn’t seem like the kind of thing that a lot of people would go for.”

“I mean,” Sam chuckled, “Normally yes but the thing is they did such a good job with these movies, they’re just so good, that it really made them stick. Even for people who hadn’t read the books.”

“They are pretty good.” Nat admitted. Steve just gave a nod.

“Okay, sure. I’ll check those out.” Carol sipped from her glass and smiled. Sam, without explanation, lurched up from the table and disappeared into the other room. Steve must have noticed the slightly puzzled look on Carol’s face as he raised a palm to his own and chuckled.

“Now you’ve done it.” He muttered.

Carol looked no less perplexed. “Done what?”

Nat stood and started clearing plates. “I hope you didn’t have any other plans for tonight.”

“Why? What’s—”

As if in answer, Sam reappeared with what looked like three boxes in his hands, and placed them with ceremonial finality onto the table. Nat tilted her head sideways and examined the spine of one of them.

“Extended editions?” She asked, trying to sound for all the world serious and not at all amused. Sam gave a small defensive bluster.

“Of course!”

He tapped the boxes with his fingers and did a quick survey of the table as Nat carried some of the plates to the dishwasher, followed by Steve.

“What do you think?” Sam asked.

Carol blinked. “What, now? _All_ of them?”

Sam shrugged. “We could start at least. They are pretty long.” Before Carol could open her mouth to answer Steve’s voice carried in from the kitchen:

“I say yes!”

“Nat?” Sam called. He was answered with a small huffing noise and then:

“Sure.”

He turned back to Carol and raised his eyebrows. Carol glanced at the large box sets somewhat warily. Hell with it. She didn’t have anything better to do tonight, and she didn’t exactly have anyone she’d rather be with at the moment.

“Sure.” She grinned. “Why not.”

Sam let out a small whoop and scooted into the living room. Carol went to the kitchen and helped the others finish mopping up before they all gathered what snacks they needed and settled in on the couches in Sam and Steve’s living room. Nat patted the couch cushion next to her and Carol sat, suppressing a smile as Nat whispered in her ear.

“Please be my couch buddy. Steve is a hog.”

Steve sprawled out on the other couch next to Sam, and the movie started. Sam hadn’t lied, it was long. Carol remembered some of the characters and places, names that stood out as familiar. Whatever images she had conjured of the story in her mind when she had read it so many years ago didn’t exactly line up with what played out on the screen, but she didn’t feel as though what she saw didn’t fit. It was good. Despite her efforts to remain objective she found herself pulled into the story.

By the time the credits rolled on the first film, Steve was halfway dozing. They took a quiet poll and kept going as the night crept past. Nat had been doing work on her phone, half watching, and half of her mind elsewhere. Carol didn’t notice until the halfway point of the second film that both Steve and Nat had fallen asleep. Sam got up and put in the next disk while Carol pulled a blanket over Nat and settled more deeply into her own corner of the couch. She was tired, yes, but she was committed to the story in a way she hadn’t expected to become, and she didn’t want to stop until she saw the end.

Even before the halfway mark of Return of the King, Sam snores carried lightly through the room. Carol sat, knees tucked up by her chest, and watched. Occasionally one of the others stirred. She had been watching for so long it was hard to keep her eyes focused, especially now as the night crept towards dawn. She was tired and somewhat delirious, but remained a captive of the story. She tried and failed to recall any time she had felt so engaged by a film, and just pulled her blanket closer as she watched.

She surprised herself by crying at the end, and had a short moment of panic until she remembered her only company was asleep. It was just her and the story, as it pulled on some chord deep within her chest, and the credits to the final film rolled to sweet and sad music. Carol sat through the entirety of the scrolling text, until her tears had dried and she could already savor the touch of the films like a friendly memory. Triumphant, sad, joyful, with a hint of melancholy and a root so deep in comradery that she took a story about elves and dwarves to heart as deeply as she would any other.

Sam had been right. They were excellent films.

She turned off the TV and stood, stretched. The faint light of dawn was creeping in glowing threads up over the hills and what she could see of the city outside. She was exhausted. She turned to her sleeping comrades, sprawled as they were across the living room in awkward positions, and smiled. She curled up on the couch next to Nat, thinking of friendship, and was quickly asleep.

She dreamt of stars as she so often did, but this time she swam amongst them like point of light in a great sea. A light lingered to the west, and she swam towards it. Other swam with her. Faces she knew and had come to care for. For the first time in many years, in her dreams she did not feel alone.


End file.
